Phil & Lucy were asked to give a Christmas Cheer presentation to the Boy Scouts of America, who wanted to become volunteers helping the charity during the holiday season.
Upon arriving, it was a surprise to both of them that the presentation was not to the scouts themselves, but to their leaders from various troops throughout the city.
The presentation went well and when they were just about to end, a scout leader raised his hand and asked if he could come up to the stage and speak.
We will never forget what he was about to say.....................
He volunteered on Christmas day the previous year and when he went to the last delivery home on his route, no one answered the doorbell. He was given their phone number on the route sheet and when he called, there was no answer. He was told before he began the deliveries, that he should not bring any food back to the Dominican University (where the deliveries came out of) and he should give it to the next home on the route sheet. Since this was the last delivery, he placed the meals and new childrens books in the car and went home for his holiday dinner and forgot about it. That evening, his phone rang with the same family telling him that they were still waiting for their meals. He immediately took his entire family to deliver the meals on Christmas night and he said it was the most meaningful thing his family could have done together on Christmas.
To hear this wonderful volunteer experience brought tears to our eyes and we once again that a greater power was involved in what we do.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
A few years back, we realized on Christmas morning that we had incorrectly ordered the meat. We were going to be short the meat portion for many meals. There was nothing we could do, but keep going until we ran out. One of the volunteers handling the meat would tell us when to stop making meals due to lack of meat. Well we never stopped – in fact there was so much meat left that we donated over a one hundred pounds to a food pantry.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
And we all know the scripture about the miracle of the loaves and fishes – well ask Rita Behrendt, our book wrapping chairman, about the miracle of the wrapping paper. Rita along with other volunteers makes sure every book & beanie baby is wrapped. We have a roll of wrapping paper that Rita is tired of because it never ends. It’s the same wrapping paper every year. I think we have had it for over 10 years. I can’t remember when we purchased wrapping paper again to wrap 4,000 books for Christmas deliveries.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
And then there is the story of two gentlemen who volunteer with us that previously spent Christmas in bed for many years due to depression because they were alone and had no family. Well they are not alone anymore as they come every Christmas morning to put meals together to help those in need. We know never to refuse God’s hand.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
A few years back..........we were closing the kitchen on Christmas morning.
All the thousands of deliveries had gone out and just as we were about to leave, the phone rang and it was a family that never received their meals. They had two small children and the father was ill with Cancer. We remember that we had placed a "Donors Box" on one of the tables and when we opened it, there was one $100.00 bill thrown on the bottom of the box and we knew at that time that it was placed there for this family.